Gene Stilp of Middle Paxton Twp., a Democratic state House candidate, is asking for federal agencies to investigate whether federal dollars are being misspent by the state Department of Education by having Gov. Tom Corbett's special adviser on higher education, Ron Tomalis, on its payroll.File photo/Pennlive

Now he wants the feds involved.

Stilp, a Democratic candidate for the 104th state House seat now held by Republican Rep. Sue Helm, on Sunday filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Attorney's office, and the U.S. Department of Justice asking them to investigate what taxpayers are getting for their money going to pay Tomalis.

He maintains that Tomalis' salary for the position he has held in the state Department of Education for the past 15 months totals about $175,000, not counting the cost of benefits he has received.

Because the education department receives federal funds, federal authorities should have an interest in determining if Tomalis is a ghost employee, Stilp said. If he isn't, Stilp said taxpayers deserve to know what they are getting for their money.

"Someone has to get to the truth, that is the job of federal and state investigative agencies," Stilp said. "Hopefully, they will proceed in [an] expeditious manner."

The position held by Ron Tomalis, Gov. Tom Corbett's special adviser on higher education, has come under fire as potentially a ghost employee situation. PennLive.com, file

Acting Education Secretary Carolyn Dumaresq said last week that because this is now a legal matter, she is unable to comment. Several attempts to obtain an immediate comment from the Corbett administration were unsuccessful.

Last week, the governor's office responded to a request for comment about Stilp's request for a state investigation into the matter. That administration response called Tomalis a "valued member of the Department of Education team" who has contributed in a variety of ways and said "the insights and direction he provides is helpful."

Tomalis, the former state education secretary, was named to the special adviser position in May 2013 after being removed by Corbett from the Cabinet position. Tomalis previously held high-level positions in the state Department of Education during former Gov. Tom Ridge's administration as well as in the U.S. Department of Education during President George W. Bush's administration.